Waking to Fate
by MidnightEden234
Summary: Original story by InnerBeast, adopted with permission! Ichigo's life hits rock bottom when Grimmjow suddenly leaves him. Meanwhile, a stranger moves in across the hall where Grimmjow once lived. An impossible new world is opened for Ichigo, all because of some doctor named Aizen and a creature that claims it wants to comfort the young Kurosaki. GrimmIchi then HichiIchi / yaoi
1. Dumped By Note

Grimmjow stood by Ichigo's apartment door, half willing to knock, half persuaded by the guilt in his stomach that he should just forget the whole thing. He didn't want to leave, but he _had_ to. With renewed motivation and a sigh, he twisted the handle, warm from how long he'd been holding it, and entered the room. It was dark, the moon light cascading down through the kitchen window, dancing in shadows along with the subtle movements of the curtain.

"Ichi, ya awake?" He called softly, unsurprised when there was no answer. His boyfriend was a heavy sleeper after all. Grimmjow walked into the kitchen, finding a light above the stove that Ichigo had obviously forgotten to leave on. He also saw a note, _'Reminder to self: never ever go out with Rukia and Renji again.'_

Grimmjow chuckled before taking out another paper from the notepad and a pen. He didn't want to end it this way, but there was no way in hell his conscience would allow him to wake Ichigo up and face brown eyes filled with tears. He knew Ichigo would have a hard time getting over him, but this was what he had to do.

Or so he kept reminding himself.

He left the note along with a bottle of wine, Ichigo's favourite, and then left his key to the apartment beside it. He spared a sorrowful glance in the general direction of Ichigo's room before slipping out, shutting off the light as he went.

* * *

Ichigo groaned, reaching over to shut off his alarm. He remained in bed for another half hour before he felt like moving. At first Ichigo resembled a creature rising from the dead, invoking a cliché woman bystander to scream _'It's alive!' _but as the blankets slid off his completely human body was revealed. A mop of hair turned the room a shocking orange when touched by the sun, it almost outshining tan skin which coated a body currently only covered by boxers. A warm smile appeared on pink lips as he, near gracefully, got out of bed, the hangover he had yesterday completely gone.

The first thing Ichigo did was get pants on. He then made his way to the kitchen, taking a glass and filling it with milk. He glanced at the counter, finding an extra note that he couldn't recall writing. As his eyes scanned the words, the glass fell from his hands and broke upon contact with the floor. Milk inched across the tiled surface as Ichigo reached the bottom of the page, tears turning the whites of Ichigo's eyes an unhealthy pink.

'_I'm sorry Ichi, but we can't be together anymore. You should know that this has everything to do with me, and it's nothing that you did. I don't have time to explain, the movers are ready to go. I wanted to tell you earlier but I couldn't find the right time. Don't call me, don't text me, don't even think about me  
-Grimmjow.'_

Ichigo ran to the door, not stopping to put shoes or a shirt on. He flung open his door then Grimmjow's, finding nothing but clean floors and empty walls. He was ushered out by men painting the blue walls over in white, forced back into his room. He ignored the mess in the kitchen, wanting nothing but to go back to bed and act like this was all a nightmare.

Renji and Rukia made several calls that day, none of them answered. Ichigo had spent the majority of the morning sobbing, passing out before supper time. Grimmjow was wrong about one thing; all Ichigo seemed to do was sleep as the days passed by.

* * *

**Next chapters will be longer, I was a little eager to get this up! ^_^**

**I enjoyed the original VERY much, so I hope this suffices as a… uhm… 'second edition'?**

**Please tell me what you think! Also, much of what happens will be the same, however when something happens, how it happens, or anything surrounding the original events, will most likely be changed. ;)**


	2. Not Yet Time

**A few days later…**

"…_call me back when you get this. You know who it is." _Ichigo heard from his kitchen. It was Renji leaving a message for about the third time that day. He heard muffling and grunt as Rukia took the phone.

"_Pick up the damn phone you idiot! You're home, we all know this! You can't keep lying around on your couch, eating ice cream and flipping through horror movies all day! I'M NOT GETTING OFF THE PHONE UNTIL YOU PICK UP!"_

Ichigo sighed and covered his face with a pillow.

_"PICK UP! PICK UP! PICK UP! PICK UP!"_

Thankfully, Ichigo knew Renji found Rukia's yelling annoying too. He heard Renji growl and take the phone back from Rukia. A moment later there was a beep as he hung up. Ichigo sighed and hugged his knees to his chest, hoping that his couch would suddenly grow into a monster and eat him alive.

He sat there a while longer until a thumping noise could be heard outside the hall. His heart skipped a beat, but he didn't allow his hopes to soar high enough to smile. _Maybe, just maybe, Grimmjow came back… _Ichigo crossed his fingers.

When he opened the door there was no blue haired man to be seen. Men in jeans and suspenders marched by, carrying strange equipment and objects covered in sheets. Something Ichigo thought might've been a couch was wheeled by. It was covered in a white sheet and had a strange bumpy shape.

Ichigo soon realised this _definitely _wasn't Grimmjow's belongings. He was suddenly knocked over by a brown haired man who'd been busy yelling at the men to be careful. As Ichigo fell to the floor, he heard a muttered, "Sorry."

Ichigo looked up at the man who had bumped into him and saw only a hand. He grabbed it and the stranger pulled him up. Ichigo noticed an odd coldness, not in the man's temperature but rather in his very being. He dusted himself off and looked around. "What is… all this stuff?"

The brown haired man had a pleasant enough smile, although it reminded Ichigo of a doctor's. It probably helped that the man wore a lab coat and rectangular glasses. "This _stuff_ is my property, and therefore none of your business young man."

Ichigo scratched his head sheepishly. "I didn't mean to intrude…"

"It's not your fault. It's in everyone's nature to ask questions, how else will you learn?" The man cleared his throat. "My apologies, I've been rather rude. My name is Sosuke Aizen. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki… also a pleasure."

Ichigo's eyes grew distant, easily noticed by Aizen. The man waved a card in Ichigo's face, bringing the orangette back down to earth. "Here. I'm a psychiatrist, and you look like something's bothering you. If you want to talk about it more… privately, give my work number a call and I'll set up a meeting."

Brown eyes blinked a few times before a tan hand took the card. "Sure… Thank you." Ichigo watched Aizen leave, and decided that he too should go back home. Ichigo curled up in his bed, his body shaking when his mind wandered back to Grimmjow.

He vaguely felt like eyes were on him, even though he knew for sure no one was watching him. As he slowly fell unconscious, a pair of glossy golden eyes peered at him through the darkness. A grin appeared on pale lips as his eyes roamed the peaceful features of Ichigo Kurosaki, thankful that the boy had finally gotten some sleep.

That night Ichigo had a strange dream…

_Ichigo was wandering a dimly lit hallway. It looked like a school, but there were no lockers and every door was shut. He was forced to stop when he reached a locked, jail cell door._

"_What the hell?" Ichigo muttered. He, for some reason, knew this didn't belong here. Something felt wrong. He knew that he was supposed to go down this way. It was a feeling wedged deep into his heart._

"_**It is not yet time, young human."**_

_Ichigo spun around. The voice came from behind him, a whisper, sending chills down his spine like a sudden winter breeze. "Wh-Who's there?"_

_**"…"**_ _There came no answer, just the shocking silence. Ichigo peered down the hallway. A lone figure stood under a twinkling florescent light. It suddenly shut off. Each light between the figure and Ichigo vanished into the darkness, one by one, until only the light above Ichigo stayed on. His shaky fingers tried opening the cell door again, but nothing opened._

_The light above him shut off and he woke up._

Ichigo panted as he sat up. He vaguely noticed the sun outside. _Had he slept all night?_

He slid out of bed, shedding his clothing. Ichigo went to the bathroom and showered. The warm water eased his mind and calmed his heart. Just as Ichigo got out, he heard a knock at the door.

It was Aizen. "Are you alright Mr. Kurosaki? I heard shouting."

"I'm fine!" Ichigo replied. He dried his hair and wrapped a towel around his waist. He was about to go to his room, when he stopped. "Doctor!"

"Yes?" He heard from the other side of the door.

"I was… wondering, if you weren't busy, could we meet tomorrow morning?"

"How does ten sound? You can come straight to my apartment."

Ichigo nodded to himself. "Sure. I'll see you tomorrow."

Aizen smirked and turned back to his room. "Yes. I will see you then." The doctor made his way back to his apartment. He locked the door, humming to himself. Aizen walked across what looked like a normal living room, towards a pale door. He slipped inside and marched towards a large cylinder-shaped tank.

"So you feel pity for the boy, how _human_ of you, Shirosaki." Aizen placed his hand on the glass. The water inside was a foggy, greenish colour. A blurred silhouette of a man floated inside. "I wonder, how shall you react if I brought him here?"

* * *

**Aaaaaaaaaaannd done! The second… or first… umm chapter? xD**

**The NOT prologue.**

**Let's just call it that.**

**Any who, sorry about the cliff hanger. Plot bunnies are evil…**

**I'm also starting a new project. If you don't mind sharing your email (I promise only I will have it, and it won't get shared), send me a PM with your email and a story you like, then I'll connect you to a google doc where you will have access to the chapter BEFORE I release it. You can see it in progress, add to it, give me ideas, and help me update faster! Make sure you send me a private message though, and not leave your email in a review. Also, this applies to ALL of my stories. x3**


	3. Ichigo Dies

**Hello everyone! If you have a moment, I'd like to ask for you all to check out my original story, "Skykaila". You can find it on taskey, wattpad and inkitt! Thank you!**

**Also, happy birthday to our Ichi-berry! :D July 15th**

* * *

Ichigo's feet tapped against the psychiatrist's hard-wood floor in an anxious rhythm. He had a pillow tightly hugged to his chest, something he discovered that brought him great comfort.

"After he left… did you ever hear from Grimmjow again?" Aizen continued to question.

Ichigo slowly shook his head, unsure of what else to say.

"How did that make you feel?"

Ichigo smirked and felt the urge to chuckle a little, "No offense Doc, but you're not exactly shedding the psychiatric stereotypes here…"

It had been roughly a month now since Ichigo had started visiting Aizen. Ichigo found his sorrow had diminished, and his confidence was slowly returning. Aizen grinned and responded, "Sorry about that, Mr. Kurosaki. It is part of my training, to ask these questions and try to understand the root of your problems. Only once I understand the problem can I hope to help you move past it."

"Yes…" Ichigo smiled, whilst his gaze glued onto the floor, "And I want to thank you for doing that."

Aizen shifted so that the leg across his knee now sat parallel on the ground. He reached for the pocket-watch lying on the desk. "Would you like to try another hypnosis session? However, if you do, you know I'll need you to sign a consensual form…"

Ichigo nodded and took the sheet of paper while Aizen walked off to the back room. Ichigo's eyes flicked across the page as his mind processed the given options. He checked the 5 minutes maximum box, and agreed to attempt a confidence and social anxiety specialized session. He signed at the bottom, his cursive messy but not bad, and handed it to Aizen once the psychiatrist returned.

Aizen placed a CD into the player and waited for the sounds to start up. Ichigo had claimed that the sound of rain helped him calm down in their last session.

As Aizen sat down, Ichigo sat up. He watched the pocket watch swing back and forth. He knew the process well enough that Aizen didn't have to explain anything. Instead, he was able to listen to rain and find true relaxation.

"Nod if you can hear me," Aizen softly commanded once he noticed Ichigo's eyes grow distant.

Ichigo slowly nodded and Aizen continued.

"Your consciousness is locked in a black box, no longer connected to your body. Envision it, the black box. You are within it and you are asleep, dreaming… Meanwhile, what I say here becomes your truth. Do you understand, Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"I understand."

"Good," Aizen grinned. "These next events are forgotten memories. You shall never recall what goes on whilst in this state. Am I clear?"

When another nod was given, Aizen deemed it safe to open the black case he kept hidden beneath his chair. Inside was a small needle, hardly bigger than Ichigo's finger. He carefully swabbed Ichigo's arm then used the needle to draw fourth his blood. The rich, red liquid filled the vial with ease.

Aizen continued to speak as he drew Ichigo's blood. "Now, hear my words and let them sink into your very core. You miss your friends and want to spend this upcoming weekend with them. In fact, you feel like you'll die if you don't see them. Invite them out to… a club: you must drink to relax. The more you drink, the easier it shall be to speak with them."

Ichigo nodded, his brown eyes half lidded.

"After five drinks you feel as though you've had too much. You tell your friends you don't feel well and you would like to stay with one of them in case you have alcohol poisoning. Don't worry, five drinks is hardly enough to cause it…" Aizen decided to have some fun. "However, you're a lightweight. You behave funny even after only three drinks. Also, anyone who hits on you makes you feel extremely shy and submissive. Likewise, you may feel extremely attracted to anyone you have a crush on while you're in this state, and you'd like to flirt with them. Did you catch all that?"

Ichigo's cheeks darkened in colour and he slowly nodded.

Aizen smirked to himself, _While he's out this weekend it'll be a perfect opportunity to put wire taps and cameras in his apartment._

Aizen withdrew the needle from Ichigo's arm and held it up to investigate it. "Good… Good. Once the sound of the rain has stopped, you will awaken."

Ichigo continued to stare forward, a dumb look on his face. Aizen carried the needle into the back.

* * *

Two weeks later found Ichigo at his next appointment with Dr. Aizen. His cheeks were alight in red as he explained the drinking situation with his friends. "R-Renji was so careful with me. I-I know he's not gay, but… I mean… It felt nice, yanno? To have someone care about you…"

Aizen tried not to grin as he took notes on Ichigo's changed behaviour. Yes, his hypnosis had worked rather well on the boy, which made him quite eager to try it again. Ichigo's mind had definitely become more submissive too. That would only make Aizen's hypnosis much more effective.

"Did anything else happen?" Aizen questioned, "Any feelings you'd like to tell me about?"

"Umm… well…" Ichigo noticed Aizen had stopped writing and was no staring directly at him. He felt compelled to answer as his eyes slowly locked onto Aizen's.

_'Do not look into his eyes, Ichigo! Do you hear me? Do not look into his eyes!'_

Ichigo turned his gaze to the floor, his body tensing up in fear.

Aizen raised a brow in question. "Is everything alright?"

_'Make an excuse!'_

"I don't feel well…" Ichigo mumbled after a moment's thought. "In fact, I think it's my breakfast disagreeing with me…" He placed his hand over his stomach. He wasn't lying entirely… The shock that had gone through him made his stomach churn with fear.

"Would you like to use the restroom?"

Ichigo nodded, keeping his eyes on the floor as Aizen led him away. As soon as the bathroom door was shut, Ichigo locked it. He put the toilet lid down and sat on it. _What's going on…? _He questioned to himself, resting his head in his hands.

_'Ichigo.'_

The boy flinched. He turned his gaze to another door, one connected to the bedroom he and Grimmjow had spent many nights in. Ichigo felt a sliver of sorrow stab his heart. The hurt of Grimmjow leaving him was almost still fresh in his mind.

_'Come to me…'_

Ichigo stood slowly on shaky legs. He wandered to the door and tried opening it. It wasn't locked.

_'Yes… that's it, young human… Come to me, my sweet King… Come to me…'_

The voice both filled him with terror and surrounded him with comfort. Despite his better judgement, Ichigo walked on. The room was unrecognizable, with a plain black bed in the wrong place, and a Japanese paper-wall standing in the middle of the room. There was a strange glowing on the other side, and Ichigo couldn't resist exploring what it was.

_'Come to me, my King…'_

"Who's there?" Ichigo questioned. He slowly maneuvered around the wall.

_'Ah, so you can hear me…' _Ichigo saw nothing to explain the strange voice. There were several odd looking _science-things _scattered across tables and shelves. The oddest thing in the area was a huge tank, which was the object responsible for the glowing. Ichigo pressed his face against it to get a better look inside it, and that's when he heard the voice again, _'There will be plenty of time for questions later…'_

"Later? Where are you?"

Ichigo shrieked when a face suddenly appeared within the murky-turquoise water. The longer he looked, however, the more he realized that this figure was the most beautiful man he'd ever laid his eyes on. The man's skin was perfectly white, and his eyes were completely bizarre: a deep harvest-moon-gold that floated gracefully over top of a pure black sclera.

"What are you?" Ichigo gasped, now more intrigued than frightened.

"Well!" A combination of his shout and Aizen clapping his hands had shocked Ichigo enough to make him turn around. There stood the strange psychiatrist. "It would seem Shirosaki has finally awoken…"

_'Ichigo! Listen to me very carefully, you must turn around and lock your eyes onto mine. Do not be tempted by Aizen's words… DO NOT LOOK INTO HIS EYES!'_

"It's too late, Shirosaki… The boy is already under my control."

As if to prove his point, Ichigo's arm began to move of its own accord. Ichigo turned back to the figure and stared at him hopelessly for help as his own hand began to wrap around his neck.

_'Accept me into your soul, King. Accept my gift, and I can save you…'_

"I…" Ichigo wheezed as his own hand choked him. "I accept… you…" Ichigo watched the tank shatter. Water and glass filled the room, knocking over the paper-wall and soaking into the carpet. Ichigo felt his body respond to him again, long enough for him to release his throat and then realize there was a terrible pain in his chest. Ichigo felt hot blood stick to his clothes. Shirosaki had stabbed him with a pure white katana. Betrayed brown eyes locked onto the other's. "Wh…Why did… you…?"

Shirosaki caught Ichigo's body as he passed out from blood loss.

Aizen was furious. "How dare you defy me, Shirosaki!?" Aizen grasped at the air and a katana appeared in his hand. "I am going to kill you! And make Ichigo pass that gift onto me!"

"You cannot! He is not only free from your spell, but now knows how to avoid it. Ichigo will never obey your command again!" Shirosaki quickly punched through Aizen's window and jumped out. Wings extended from his back and he used them to escape, still clutching Ichigo's body in his arms.

* * *

**Teaser for Skykaila: It's hard to deny the past when it's cold, red eyes are staring you right in the face. Kim froze in sheer terror. There before her was a creature unlike anything she'd ever seen - a majestic, dark blue lizard, with sparkling scales. There was only one word for a creature like this: dragon.**

**I'm trying to get some popularity going for this story. I plan on entering it into a contest in November!**


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